Just curious what you guys like for your 38 special and 357 loads

[Sidewinder]

Update... I have added a Ruger .357 Mag Blackhawk with a 6 1/2 inch barrel, as a companion gun to the Savage 24 .357/20 gauge. Wow! this thing is an anvil! The .38 Specials feel like i'm shoothing .22LR in it! the .357 mag factory loads aren't bad either. I think I'm going to love this pair. Can't wait to do some hunting with them... heck, just to shoot them some more!

[PoofNoEyeBrows]

.357 H110 and Hornady 125 gr XTP's. Shoot these out of a Marlin 1894 lever gun and I have been very satisfied for several years.

[timthetoolman]

Well I think I will use some 2400 for the 357 based on advice from my father and a few others.  Seems like 13.5 to 15 grains is standard. I have a variety of projectiles from hornady around 157/8 grains as well as jacketed bullets.  Any advice on a round that will be decent performing, but not full potency hammer of god like power?

[roverboy]

Well I think I will use some 2400 for the 357 based on advice from my father and a few others.  Seems like 13.5 to 15 grains is standard. I have a variety of projectiles from hornady around 157/8 grains as well as jacketed bullets.  Any advice on a round that will be decent performing, but not full potency hammer of god like power?

I have shot a lot of 158 gr. cast loads with 12.5 gr.- 14.5 gr. of 2400 and they're not all that bad on recoil. 2400 is always been a good powder and gets good accuracy a lot of the time.

[timthetoolman]

Just as an update I did a few different loads and landed on 14 gr of 2400 with a magnum primer. Loaded up several hundred which should hold me for a while. Now on to my 44 mag brass collection. Sent from my iPhone using [URL=http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1]Tapatalk[/URL]

[will_reed]

I like 3.5 of bullseye over a 158 swc for 38 special. Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

[gregintenn]

13.5 grains of bullseye on 158 grainers for .357 is my standard.  It is well below max for every bullet in that weight range and doesn't beat me up. 

Sir I urge you to disregard the above load. I do believe it is a misprint. Whatever the case, I don't believe you want to try it. :shake:

[221 Fireball]

13.5?! That's only 10 grains more Bullseye than I use for .38...LOL. :ugh:

 

I've recently been loading a sweet .357 for my rifle, 12.5grs of H110, mag primer, 180gr Sierra, doing 1300+ out of my Marlin 1892.

[leroy]

I'm big on the 13 1/2 grain 2400 / 158 grain LSWC in 357 mag brass.. It's accurate, powerful, and soft shooting in a big revolver.... If ya like 38 special brass; use 12.0 to 12.5 and the same LSWC...  It works like a charm... In the 38 special cases it duplicates the old 38-44 hi speed load...  Either of them shoot like a dream in my n frame smiths or my vaquero sheriff...

 

leroy

[timthetoolman]

13.5 shot great but I wanted I bit more magnum feel. But I agree that's a great load. Sent from my iPhone using [URL=http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1]Tapatalk[/URL]

[leroy]

13.5 shot great but I wanted I bit more magnum feel. But I agree that's a great load.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Try 15.5 grains of 2400 with standard primers and a heavy crimp... It's the old "Keith" load for the 357 mag... The modern loading manuals wont recommend it; but it will work... Use it in the "n" frame smiths, blackhawks, and vaqueros....

 

leroy

[PoofNoEyeBrows]

Anyone using the .357Mag/.38Spl in a rifle for hunting? I have a Savage 24V Series D, chambered in .357Mag over a 20 gauge bottom barrel. Barrel length is 24" and the twist is 1" in 12". As soon as I build up some .357 Mag brass, I'd like to load up some loads for killing paper targets, and some for hunting, probably deer, yotes, and other critters. I have "never" reloaded any .357 Mag, even though I've been reloading other calibers and shotshells for years. Thanks, I'm all ears.

As stated earlier I use H110 with 125gr. XTPs in my Marlin 1894. I have only shot 1 coyote with this combo, but it was very effective. Might actually be a little over kill for such a small target and I am only shooting from about 50 yards out of a barn down into a field when I decide to wait for them.

Edited January 24, 2014 by PoofNoEyeBrows

[Caster]

Best load I have found for 38 special is a lyman 358429 cast from stick on wheel weights (dead soft) sized .358 and lubed with homemade lube over 3.0g of Titegroup. Very gentle, very accurate. Costs less than a nickel each to load.

[ArmyBrat61]

Hi Gents

Figured I'd post my question here rather than start a new post.....357 magnum....I've been loading Bullseye 4.5gr under a 158gr round flat point from Xtreme Bullets and have had good results. I ran out of Bullseye and picked up some Win 296 (only powder I could find for .357 mag)....the website info says to load 15gr-15.8gr for this pill. That load almost fills the case and has me concerned about overcharging. I have a 2nd edition Lee manual that says "NA" for the 158gr plated bullet.....needless to say I'm abit confused and very cautious (ok nervous) about the amount of 296.....never used Winchester powder before. Is 296 the same as another brand powder? Today is my typical day at the bench so any help would be appreciated.

 

Just tried to download/open the Winchester load data site to verify and got the typical "cannot display webpage" bs........

Edited April 27, 2014 by ArmyBrat61

[jeff43]

Hi Gents
Figured I'd post my question here rather than start a new post.....357 magnum....I've been loading Bullseye 4.5gr under a 158gr round flat point from Xtreme Bullets and have had good results. I ran out of Bullseye and picked up some Win 296 (only powder I could find for .357 mag)....the website info says to load 15gr-15.8gr for this pill. That load almost fills the case and has me concerned about overcharging. I have a 2nd edition Lee manual that says "NA" for the 158gr plated bullet.....needless to say I'm abit confused and very cautious (ok nervous) about the amount of 296.....never used Winchester powder before. Is 296 the same as another brand powder? Today is my typical day at the bench so any help would be appreciated.
 
Just tried to download/open the Winchester load data site to verify and got the typical "cannot display webpage" bs........

I've been told that Win 296 is the same as H110. Maybe some of the other guys can tell you more about it.

[Guest lilfishbigpond]

[quote name="ArmyBrat61" post="1143300" timestamp="1398616231"]Hi Gents Figured I'd post my question here rather than start a new post.....357 magnum....I've been loading Bullseye 4.5gr under a 158gr round flat point from Xtreme Bullets and have had good results. I ran out of Bullseye and picked up some Win 296 (only powder I could find for .357 mag)....the website info says to load 15gr-15.8gr for this pill. That load almost fills the case and has me concerned about overcharging. [/quote] Overcharging can happen regardless of how full the case is or is not. I would think having a full case indicates the powder burns slower and thus takes more powder for the same velocity than your prior powder. I'm a newb to reloading so am not attempting to speak to safety of the load just commenting that having a full case does not indicate overcharging by itself. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[musicman]

Spot on, lilfish. Many loads with the slow magnum powders are compressed loads. And yes, H110 and Winchester 296 are pretty much the same thing, from the same manufacturer, just with different labels. I use them interchangeably. They are my go-to powers for hot 357s, along with 2400.

For 38 I like bullseye and HP38, but it's so forgiving you can just about drop a few grains of anything and have a range-worthy load!

Honestly, fast powders that take up less than 50% of the case capacity worry me more than slow powders that seem to fill them up. I'll know if I screw up with a slow powder... but you can charge a 38 case with 2.8gr of Bullseye four times before any will spill over and alert you to the problem.

[ArmyBrat61]

OK cool....that's just what I needed to know. Thanks gents!

[ttocswob]

I use a 158 grain XTP over 16.5 grains of H110, which according to my chrono virtually duplicates Hornady's factory load. H110/Win 296 is problematic when undercharged, particularly is standard primers are used, resulting in the dread "bullet in bore" stoppage. Do NOT reduce loads more than 3%, per Hodgdon's website. And use magnum primers.

 

OTOH, Hornady's manual takes H110 into unsafe territory, IMO.